A few days ago, on the "Official I DIG DUG COMICS Facebook Page", a friend of mine asked if my character, Not-So-Super-Man, was based off of anyone in general. This is a very valid question, considering that nearly everyone in the I Dig Dug universe is a parody of real life people. Dug, Matt, Carrie, Smitty, Dave, Brodie Rock...they all have a 'real life person' that provided inspiration for their characters. Not-So-Super-Man..while I'm sure one could argue has a little bit of "Doug" in his character development...isn't really based on anyone. He's simply a parody of super hero comics, and originally was going to be the 'evolution' of I DIG DUG. Let me explain...
The Adventures of Not-So-Super-Man (NSSM) were randomly inserted strips while I was doing I DIG DUG for OSU's free daily paper, The Lantern. Occasionally, I wold do a NSSM strip, just for my own personal amusement. Eventually, I moved NSSM to Fridays. I would do a four-strip IDD story for The Lantern thru the week, and then finish off the week with NSSM on Friday. I did this for an entire quarter, but the idea wasn't really 'developed'. I was still just amusing myself.
Eventually I came up with the idea that NSSM was the comic creation of Dug. It was my way of having my art imitate real life. While I (Doug) was trying to get I DIG DUG featured everywhere and anywhere I could, Dug similarly was trying to get NSSM published within the IDD universe. Furthering that idea...I also had this grand scheme for NSSM in my senior year at OSU. I had written a story where Dug, Matt, and Carrie graduate, and on graduation day, Dug receives a letter in the mail that announces his comic, NSSM, has been picked up as a syndicated daily strip that would be published in newspapers all across the United States. Thus...I DIG DUG would transition into "The Adventures of NSSM". The new NSSM strip would feature the adventures of NSSM,and introduce a wide variety of sidekicks goofy villains and we'd occasionally see Dug and Carrie and Matt as 'background' characters.
In the summer of 2000, I ran a collection of "I DIG DUG Greatest Hits" in The Lantern, with hopes of debuting NSSM in the fall. However, those plans changed. Why they changed, and how they changed is a different story...as this is the story of Not-So-Super-Man. I still enjoy doodling the character quite a bit. I just don't do much with him. But...like all of my creations...he's there just in case I ever want to dust him off and revisit him. I actually have a story written where he will cameo in LOST ON EARTH. But...that's quite a bit down the road.
Thank, Sarah, for asking about NSSM. It's fun taking trips down memory lane with my characters. As odd as it sounds, they're little pieces of my 'family', and I enjoy sharing them with you.
More LOST ON EARTH later in the week. And...maybe...if you're lucky...PAGE ONE OF THE I DIG DUG GRADUATION GRAPHIC NOVEL!!! ...only if you're lucky...(and I get off my lazy bum!)
-dug!
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